Chapter Three
ALICIA
I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from lunch and I was happy to see that Adam and I were no longer top news on the tabloids. A young actor had overdosed at his Manhattan apartment the night before. He lived, thankfully, but the newspapers and magazines were speculating on whether or not it had been a suicide attempt. I was glad the young man hadn’t died, but I was more than happy to give the front page to him.
When I arrived home, Luis was at the door, as usual. He held the door for me and after asking how my day was going he said,
“You have company,”
“Yes,” I told him. “My parents are still visiting.”
“No, Mr. Grant just got here a few moments ago. I told him you were out, but he said he was here to visit with your parents today.”
“Oh.” He was looking worried that he may have done something wrong. I felt bad and said, “Thank you, Luis. He’s an old friend from back home. I’m sure my parents were happy to see him.” He looked relieved to hear that.
As I walked to the elevator in the lobby I noticed a man sitting in the lobby chair that I didn’t recognize. Being a New Yorker now, I of course did not know everyone who lived in the building, but I had lived there long enough that I knew how to spot a new face. The man was reading or pretending to read a New York Times. I waited a few beats before pushing the up button on the elevator, and when he felt me looking at him he looked up and gave me an almost imperceptible nod and a smile.
I knew then that he was one of the agents looking out for me, and it made me feel more secure as I got in the elevator and rode up to see what it was Jack wanted this time. I did wonder what story the agent had given Luis, who was also protective. He made a point to not let strangers in unless someone was expecting them. I’m sure if the man did tell Luis he was FBI, he would be discreet about it.
I let myself into the apartment and found my parents and Jack having tea in the sitting room. When Jack saw me come in, he stood up and said, “Alicia, I hope you don’t mind me just stopping by. I wanted to get a chance to catch up with your parents while they were still in town.”
“No, not at all,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. Jack gave me a kiss on the cheek and for the first time since I met him all of those years ago, it made my skin crawl a little.
“Jack was just telling us about his father’s business coming to the States,” my mother said. “Isn’t that nice?”
“Yes,” I said and then looking at Jack, I asked, “Strange though, you working with him, huh?”
Jack didn’t appear nervous at all to me as he said, “Yes, I guess it would seem strange to you, all of those years I spent bad-mouthing him. I was an angry young man, Alicia. I have since learned to keep my anger in check and appreciate all that my father has done for me, instead of holding a grudge over what I thought he hadn’t done.”
“Good for you,” my father said before I had a chance to ask anything further of him. “Family is our most important asset.”
“Here, here,” Jack said in a mock toast as he raised his tea cup before drinking from it. I wanted to roll my eyes, but I caught myself before I did. If I let Jack know that I could see through his innocent act he would never share anything with me or in front of me that might lead the FBI to his arrest.
“Alicia,” Mother said, “Why don’t we have Jack stay for dinner tonight?”
“Sure,” I said, really wishing there were some way out of it. “I was planning on making veal cutlets. Is that okay with you, Jack?”
“Sounds terrific, I’d love to stay,” he said, enthusiastically.
It was early afternoon, yet but I told them I had to prepare the veal and excused myself into the kitchen. I wasn’t good at this whole espionage thing. I knew I’d never get Jack to open up to me if I continued to avoid his company, but I could hardly stomach being around him these days.
I poured myself a cup of tea and although I had an excellent butcher who had already done the work for me, I made a play of tenderizing the cutlets. After about half an hour, Jack came into the kitchen.
“Hey, are you sure you don’t mind your mother inviting me to dinner?”
“Of course not,” I told him. “I have plenty.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he said with a serious look. “It just seems that the last few times we’ve talked, you’ve acted like you’d like to be somewhere else.” I drew on the persona I use when I’m in court and trying to defend a client that I don’t like.
“I’m sorry, Jack. I don’t mean to treat you badly. I’ve just had so much going on lately.”
“It’s okay, as long as I haven’t lost my best friend,” he said, making me sad. I didn’t want to lose my friend, either, but I was almost certain I already had.
“Can I help you with anything?” he asked.
I gave him some vegetables to chop and I began preparing the potatoes I was planning to serve with the veal. As we worked, we talked about old times. I found my chance when Jack brought up a big fight he’d had with his father just before entering law school.
“You remember,” he told me, “I was in such a mood. You made me your famous red velvet cake and we stayed up high on sugar, talking all night long.”
“Yes, I do remember,” I told him. “I think I gained five pounds that night. That leads me to a question I’ve had, though. That night, you swore you’d never have anything to do with your father’s business. What really changed your mind, Jack? I’m not really buying what you were selling my parents in there.”
Jack went dark for a minute, and I thought he wasn’t going to answer. Finally, he said,
“I tried making it on my own. I opened my own practice after you left, and for a while, it felt good defending the innocent. But I wasn’t making any money and ultimately had to go to Father for a loan.
“He gave it to me and then promptly began to use it against me. Anytime he wanted or needed anything from me from then on he’d throw it in my face. He made me feel like a failure and he turned out to be right. I ended up losing the practice and not having the money to pay him back. He offered me a job in exchange for what I owed him and a salary larger than anything I ever would have made as an attorney. It was another failure on my part that I accepted it.”
I felt for him as he talked. I didn’t like seeing him so defeated. I could understand his need to seek out his father’s help, but I still couldn’t grasp why he would be willing to undertake the things the FBI were accusing him of.
“Is your commitment to him long-term or do you plan on returning to the law someday?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“At first, it was only until I could pay him back. Now, I just don’t know. Every day I stay, I get sucked into the business a little deeper.”
“Sucked in” sounded to me like he was almost admitting to getting his hands dirty. He seemed to be sad about it, but almost resigned to his fate.
I was about to ask him another question when my mother came in to see how we were doing. The conversation turned to other things and I was actually relieved. Dinner was actually enjoyable and for a while, I lost myself once again in the good memories of an old friend. When it was time for Jack to leave, I walked him down to the lobby. As he was thanking me for the evening and saying goodnight he said,
“So, I guess you’re really set on marrying this Hanson guy, huh?”
“Yes, Jack,” I said. “I am set on it. I love Adam and can’t wait to be his wife.” I couldn’t interpret the look that passed over Jack’s face, however, the words he spoke next needed no interpretation,
“Just remember what I said before, if it doesn’t work out, for any reason, I’ll be here for you.” I thanked him, but came away with an eerie feeling. If I were a superstitious woman, I would have said that Jack was predicting that Adam and I wouldn’t work out. I knew he was wrong. Adam was right for me in every way. We just needed to help bring all of this intrigue to a close and get on with our lives together.